Finding Love in the Craziest Places
by Writing-OnMy-HeartStrings
Summary: A day of house cleaning sends Sakura's world into a downward spiral! Before she knows it, she finds herself in Domino City. If being this far away from Konaha wasn't scary enough, just add in strange Egyptain items & a children's card game! Plus, the presense of a very mysterious but aluring 5000 old spirit to the mix & you have Sakura Haruno's vacation! SakuraXYamiYugi and others!
1. Tears & Chocolate-Covered Strawberries

**A/N:**** I'm back and with a brand new story! It is different from my usual because it's not SasuSaku (sorry Sasuke-Kun you'll have to sit this one out). Instead, it's a very odd couple because 1. It's a crossover couple. And 2. It's YamiYugiXSakura, which is very uncommon. The reason for this is because I watched all the original Yu-Gi-Oh episodes this past summer, and just sorta started thinking about how my favorite female anime character Sakura and my (new) favorite male anime character Yami would look together. Then I read the few fanfics there are of these two and this story evolved into what it is. Very long explanation I know, but I needed to explain where my head is. My other stories are being worked on slowly, but I just had to get this story off my chest. Well, I hope this story will open your eyes to the possibility. Oh, and don't worry; Sasuke-kun will be back (either in this story or the next… only I know****J****)**

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Chapter 1: Tears and Chocolate-covered Strawberries

_Sakura…Sakura…Sakura…_ His voicing was constantly repeating her name in her head. She hated herself for being caught off guard by …well by him while her teammates were fighting. Even when she tried to attack him, she froze almost getting in fatal danger.

_Damnit! Why can't I forget about him! He's clearly not coming back! Focus and stop being weak! _Her inner self shouted. She ignored her inner and shoved her in the back of her mind as team Kakashi made their way back to Konaha to report a failed mission. The thoughts of failure along with the aching of losing Sasuke once again brought tears to the pink hair beauty's eyes. She looked down to hide the few tears that fell, so Naruto wouldn't see her cry. He was already beating himself over not fulfilling the promise from all those years ago.

As they broke through the trees and looked at the front gates of Konaha, she took a deep breath and dried her eyes, but couldn't dry her bleeding heart. As the four crossed through the front entrance, they soberly greeted the two guards on duty. Sakura glanced over at her team.

"Well," Sakura stuttered trying to keep her voice even," hmm...I-I d- …Tell Lady Tsunade that I apologize for my part of the failed mission." With that, she took her leave before she lost whatever dignity she had left.

Quickly arriving to her house and unlocking the front door, Sakura was pleased to find her mom wasn't home. She set her pack down on the one of the end tables in the living before heading to the kitchen. Once she reached the fridge, she pulled out a plastic container of strawberries and then reached up in one of the top cabinets for the chocolate syrup. After pouring the syrup into a small bowl, the depressed pink roseate climbed the stairs to her room to end her night like most others… with tears and chocolate-covered strawberries.

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**I hope you guys liked! I know it was super short, but I have to next two chapters written. I will update if I see that people actually read this majorly insane mess of a story. *sigh* Well, please leave a review to see if I should continue this or end it. My other stories will be updated either today or tomorrow! I promise that!**


	2. The Attic

**A/N:**** I would have updated yesterday but I went ice-skating with my cousin and then had school today! I would have put it off until this weekend but I received reviews! Thanks you to those who have reviewed or followed my story! This chapter is dedicated to you guys!**

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Chapter 2: The Attic

Sakura was awaked by the creaking of her bedroom door. She opened her eyes slowly to see her mom standing in the doorway.

"Well hello sleepyhead. It's good to see you awake," she said, her kind eyes smiling at me," I heard you come in late last night, so I figured I'd let you sleep in some." And sleep in is exactly what she had done because unless her clock was wrong, it was nearly one in the afternoon.

"Whenever you're ready, I'll finish making lunch. I'm making syrup-coated anko dumplings. It'll be ready soon," and with that, she turned around and started walking down stairs. Sakura could tell that her mom was being careful not to ask about the mission. Due to the facts that my face was puffier and redder then a baboon's ass, the empty strawberry container and the small bowl covered in chocolate that were on my nightstand, she knew it didn't go well. Trying to shake out all her negative thoughts, Sakura decided to quickly shower in hope that the steam would help clear her mind.

Exiting from her bathroom with a light pink towel wrapped around her slim torso, Sakura walked over to her closet and picked out her clothes. She decided to wear a light blue blouse and blue denim shorts. The blouse had wavy like straps and a neckline that dips towards her chest. A flower rested in the upper right corner of the neckline. She looked at herself in the mirror and frowned. Her eyes rested on her breasts. Sakura then started to remember a conversation she had with Ino about a month before she left on the mission.

_*flashback*_

_Sakura walked out of a dressing room in one of the few fashion boutiques in Konoha. The light pink sundress she had decided to try on was really cute. It fell down to right above her knees and gave her room to breathe and move which she really liked. It was hard to find cute dresses that weren't skintight and actually provided coverage for you. The only thing she didn't like was the sweetheart neckline because dipped further down than she liked._

"_Damn forehead, I love that dress one you!" Ino said loudly "you have to get it!"_

"_I don't know," Sakura said insecurely," I think it's a little too revealing. "_

"_Geez, that's not revealing! It's called faltering forehead! If you got it, flaunt it!" her friend said with a smile._

"_That's the thing! I don't got it! I just wish I could put some of my forehead into my chest," Sakura said a biting her lower lip._

_Sighing, Ino grabbed Sakura's shoulders and smiled," You do have it, Sakura. If they keep growing like this, they'll be bigger than Lady Hokage's! It doesn't help that all of your clothes hide your breast! That's it. We are getting you a completely new wardrobe." With that, she grabbed the pinkie's hand and led her through the store, nearly clearing every rack they passed._

_*end*_

Sakura smiled at the memory of that day. "Gotta love that Ino-pig," she said softly to herself. Quickly, she fixed her short pink hair, parting it to the side and sliding a clip to hold the hair in place. A touch of lip gloss to her lips and she was ready to start her day. Sighing, she grabbed her trash from last night and went down stairs.

* * *

As she entered the kitchen, her mom was putting lunch of the table. After taking care of the contents in her hands, Sakura sat down to one of her favorite meals. The two ate quietly, and soon, the table was cleared. Sakura slid onto the counter as her mom washed the dishes from their meal.

"So what's one the agenda for today?" Sakura asked her mom.

Drying her hands off with a towel, she replied," I was thinking we could clean out the attic some."

"That sounds good. I don't have any shifts at the hospital or a mission for at least a week, so we can have it all cleaned before the week is out," Sakura replied. With that, the two climbed the stairs and soon were entering the attic.

* * *

Before long, the living room was flooded with old cardboard boxes; dust clogged the air, and started to settle on the furniture. Sneezing once again, the pink hair beauty finished sorting through an old box of clothes that didn't fit as her mom was neatly stacking old photo albums back into a box. Pulling another box close, Sakura opened it, expecting more clothes. Instead, she found old toys from her childhood. Stuffed animals and baby dolls consisted of the top layer. She sorted through the contents quickly, smiling every once and a while when she thought was old times. She was almost done when she reached in and pulled out an old wooden box. Curious, Sakura opened it carefully and nearly screamed when she saw _them_.

"Oh kami! M-m-my duel m-monster cards!" Sakura shouted. Her mom looked over at her overly dramatic daughter and laughed.

"Well, that's odd! Ah, remember when your father got those for you," she said with a smile, but Sakura could see the hurt in her mom's eyes at the thought of her father, who died about 2 years ago on a mission. A moment of silence passed over them in honor of her father. Sakura looked down at her box of duel monster cards, remembering her first encounter with them.

_*flashback*_

_A little girl with bubble gum pink hair was dressing her doll up for its day when she heard the door open and her father's voice filled the house. Sakura set her doll down before running down the stairs and into her father's arms. He swung her around before setting her down and kissing her forehead. He hugged my mother and kissed her lightly on the lips._

"_It went well dear?" her mother asked her father._

"_Yes and no. We had to travel to the Foreign World (that's what we call all the non-shinobi nations) for our mission. The missing-nin we were tracking was captured but didn't have any helpful information on the Akatsuki like we thought," he replied," I would have been home sooner but I decided to do some shopping in the town we were at in Japan." With that, he looked down at his little girl before squatting down to her level. Pulling something out of his bag, he gave it to her. It was a small brown wooden box._

"_Open it," he said with a smile._

_Sakura so did and then saw a weird stack of cards with odd brown backs with a black oval in the center. Picking one up, she looked at it._

"_Kuriboh...?" she read the name at the top of the card aloud. The picture was of a cute fuzzy brown round creature with big eyes._

_With a smile, my dad started to explain duel monster, at least what he knew about it. Apparently, it was a card game that was really popular in the Foreigners' world. Every monster had special abilities and specific defense and attack points. People would fight their monsters against each other, along with using special cards called magic cards and trap cards. It reminded her of the ninja battlefield and tactics that she was learning at the Academy. Her dad handed her a book that explained the rules and other information about the game. Smiling, she gave her dad a hug before running upstairs with her new toys. _

_*end*_

Sakura held the small chest close as she smiled. She dug through the old box to find the rulebook before running upstairs just as she had done when she was only nine. Sakura spent the rest of the week learning duel monsters once again and perfecting different strategies. By the time the week had ended, her thoughts started revolved around the card game and her mom had noticed.

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**A/N:**** I personally thought this was cute, but it doesn't matter what I think. It only matters what you the readers think! I will only know what you think if you review! So please review! Every single review long or short put a smile in my heart and a kick to my inspiration! Thanks to how are sticking to my story! You guys are amazing! I will update sometime before next Monday! I promise! ~**


	3. The Start of Something New(edited)

**A/N:**** I am back early with another update! I really should be working on my homework but you guys are much more important! ^^! This chapter is dedicated to SakuraXMulti, littlemissXflydog, Lucia Tsukiyomi-hime, crazycherry459, and an anonymous reviewer for favoriting, reviewing, and/or following this story! You guys just don't know how much it means to me! I really appreciate it! Well let's get on with the story!**

**Disclaimer (that I have been forgetting… opps!): I do not own any Naruto or any of the Yu-Gi-Oh characters that might just make an appearance *hint hint wink wink :)*. They belong to their rightful owner blah blah blah…**

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Chapter 3: The Start of Something New

As Sakura walked into Lady Tsunade's office, she saw her working on some paperwork…WAIT! Tsunade's working?! The pinkie stood in front of her master's desk with a bewildered look plastered to her face. Shizune walked by the confused kunoichi and handed Lady Tsunade more paperwork.

"Well it's good to see you back!" Shizune said with a smile, Tonton oinking in approval.

Putting down her pen and taking a sip of her drink, Lady Tsunade spoke," It is nice to have you back Sakura, but it seems that I have received a letter from your mother. She describes your home life and the stress you have to cope with. Since you're last mission was a failure, it hasn't gotten better." She finished, clearing her throat. She crossed her hands and placed her chin on her hands, looking her apprentice in the eyes.

"Well," Sakura said," I have been very busy and the mission has been weighting kinda heavy on my heart, but I'm fine."

Sighing, Lady Tsunade replied," I know you Sakura. You're not one to let others see you suffer, but I can see you really need a break. That is why I'm let you off your shinobi duties until I see fit. Go explore the world. You know as well as I do of the other world that is out there."

"But what if something happens? What if you need me?" Sakura asked scared to think of the worse that could happen to Konoha in her absence.

"Then you will be brought back here as soon as possible, but unless that happens, you will be exploring and enjoying life for a while," She finished, taking another sip of her sake. Sakura sighed and bowed to both Lady Tsunade and Shizune. The troubled rosette left the hokage tower with many things on her mind.

Walking through her front door, she flopped down on the couch. Me… a vacation! Ridiculous! Sakura thought to herself.

Her mom then walked down the stairs and hurried into the kitchen. Glaring, Sakura sat up and followed her. She was not going to get away from this. Once the now fuming pinkie entered the kitchen, she saw her mom writing something down.

Looking up, she smiled at me and said" Oh good! You're here! Ok, I need you -"

"No," I said cutting her off," I need YOU to explain what the hell you're doing writing to Tsunade-shishou saying I need a vacation!"

"Now dear," she said in a calming voice" let me explain. First of all, Tsunade and I both agree that you are in need of a vacation! You're young and need to explore! There is a lot more to this world then just the ninja nations. That is why we are going to take a trip to the Foreign World!" She finished with a huge smile as she handed her daughter the paper she was writing on. It was a list of things to do and to pack before we left which was in about 3 days. Biting her lower lip, Sakura look at the list and then at her mom and back to the list again. This was a very interesting yet scary idea. Sighing, she stared at her mom, a smile growing on her lips. Sakura Haruno never backs away from a challenge. With that, Sakura ran upstairs to pack for a journey that would be more than it first appeared to be.

Her friends took the news really well especially Naruto who the two decided was going to come with them after he begged and pleaded. He then said that they shouldn't leave out Sai since he was part of their team and therefore family. So now, her "relaxing" vacation now includes two idiots.

Everyone else was supportive and excited for us. Kakashi even told her a couple of his own ventures in the foreign world; some the now mentally scarred Kunoichi did NOT want to hear *shudder*. Ino was the one who was most excited for her friend.

"OMG Billboard-brow! What do you think the foreign guys are gonna look like?" Ino asked with hearts in her eyes and a grin larger than Naruto's across her face. Sighing, Sakura just rolled her eyes. This was going to be a relaxing vacation and getting involved with men will murder that plan.

"Come on forehead! You aren't at least a little curious about what they're gonna look like?" She pestered, trying to push a response out of best friend.

Groaning, Sakura respond," Well damn does it matter? Men are men and they're all the same. But I guess they might look a little different."

"You better take a billion pictures for me forehead," She said as she thumped Sakura on the temple. Rolling her eyes, Sakura playfully elbow her in her stomach. With a hug, they departed and Sakura walked back to her house to finish packing because that they were leaving in only a few hours.

Sakura was soon packing the last of her things. She was zipping up her last bag when her mom passed by her bedroom door.

"You might wanna pack your duel monster cards," she said with wink before heading down stairs. Sakura stared at her mom as she left, wondering why she mentioned her deck. Shrugging, the pinkie decided to slip them into her purse. Taking a deep breath, she grabbed her bags and went down stairs where everyone was waiting. Once she reached the living room with her bags, Sakura saw Naruto and Sai were already fighting.

"Now Dickless remember to stay close to Ugly so you don't run off and make a fool of yourself," Sai spoke calmly with his trademark smile.

"Ugh you teme! Why we gotta bring him?" Naruto whined loudly with a pout.

My mom chuckled," If I remember correctly, you're the one that insisted he join us?"

Naruto was about to speak but stopped and thought for a second. Finally, he groaned, "Ugh I hate when you're right Mrs. Rin." He then flopped on the coach with a pout.

Smiling, Sakura set her bags down and took a seat between Naruto and Sai to prevent any bloodshed. Naruto instantly perked up and started jabbering about something that the kunoichi wasn't even paying attention to. Instead, her mind kept drifting to the deck in her purse. Why did her mom want her to bring them? It's not like she going to die without them for a couple of months. Her train of though was stopped when the doorbell rang.

Quickly, her mom answered it and let in who appeared to be their escorts. Kakashi, Hinata, and Shikamaru filed into the house dressed in their usual shinobi attire while everyone else choose comfortable civilian clothes. Sakura was wearing a light pink tee with a V-neck and light blue denim skinny jeans with her shinobi sandals. Her hair was in a short spike ponytail. Naruto was loose denim jeans, a simple shirt with the Uzimaki symbol on the front, and some black converses. Sai was wearing a shirt just like this one he wears during missions with some black jeans and boots. Lastly, her mom was wearing white pants with a light blue ruffle shirt and matching flats. Her long brown hair was in a ponytail.

"Ok," my mom began to say" now that we have everyone here, I'm going to explain some more about this trip. As you all know, this is going to be a vacation to the Foreign World, so we are going to need to be escorted which is Kakashi, Hinata, and Shikamaru's job. There's a small nearly secret airport that is used only to leave or arrive in the shinobi nations. We will be traveling to this area, which is only about a mile west from here. We'll then fly to one city and get on another plane to fly to our final destination. Any questions?" when no one spoke up, we started grabbing an equal amount of luggage. Before we knew it, we had already left the gates of Konaha and were traveling towards our first destination.

Most of the traveling time passed with idle conversations. Sakura and Hinata talked to each other most of the way.

"Are you a little nervous about the foreign world?" Hinata asked shyly. Fortunately, she was over the stuttering (except when it came to Naruto...), but she couldn't seem to break out of her quiet shell.

Sighing, Sakura replied," Yeah, but I'm up for the challenge!"

"Can you keep an eye on Naruto-kun for me, Sakura-chan?" Hinata whispered to her friend.

"Of course I will," Sakura said with a wink. Hinata has only told Sakura her true feelings for the knucklehead ninja, but it's no secret… well except for Naruto. "Don't wanna let your future husband get lost!" Sakura whispered with a smirk. Hinata just blushed causing the kunoichi to laugh loudly. Sakura then overheard Shikamaru mumble something about "troublesome women".

"Oh hey Shikamaru! How's Temari?" the pinkie asked with devious grin. Shikamaru's eyes widened for a second before he looked away, not needing to answer any "troublesome questions". The two girls started to giggle quietly between themselves.

"Sakura-chan, you've been hanging out with Ino-chan too much. You're starting to act just like her," Hinata said with a smile.

Rolling her eyes, Sakura laughed," I'm nothing like Ino-Pig! I'm better!"

Just had she had finished saying that, Sakura tripped and fell on her face. As Kakashi and Naruto helped her to her feet, Sakura swore she heard Shikamaru mumble something about Karma. Within a few more minutes, they had arrived at the airport. Once all the extra paperwork was signed, they started to board the plane. After quick goodbyes, Sakura, her mom, Naruto, and Sai were off to the foreign world.

The rest of the trip was rather uneventful except when Naruto got air sick. Within about 4 hours, they were loading their luggage into a taxi that was going to take them the last few miles to their final destination. Sakura took a seat between Naruto and Sai in the back while her mom rode up front. Sakura just prayed that Naruto wouldn't get carsick. Fortunately, the loud mouth ninja was too busy gawking out the windows to get sick. Even though they know about cars, planes, and other technology, the sight of metal buildings jutting out of the ground and reaching towards the clouds was fascinating. In a few minutes, they arrived at their chosen city. By the sign at the entrance, Sakura made a very sure guess that the city was called Domino City. Something about the name rang a bell in her mind, but she just couldn't quite place her finger on it. The taxi kept moving through the city. It was about 3 p.m. and the sidewalks were busy. Sakura couldn't stop staring at all the shops: some for food and electronics, but mostly clothes! Sakura smiled as she thought of what Ino would do if she was here. The rows of shops finally ended as they continued driving down the street. That's when Sakura saw a K and C that overlapped slightly on a huge glass building. Sakura screamed causing the taxi driver to slam on the brakes. After everyone gained their composure, they gave the overly excited pinkie glares especially the driver. Sakura didn't seem to notice because she was still freaking out! How could she have not realized this sooner?

"Oh kami! Mom that's the Kaiba Crop building!" Sakura said. Now she remembered why the name Domino sounded familiar. She had read something about Kaiba Corp a few years ago.

Smiling, her mom answered," I know dear. That's why I choose to come to the foreign world. Since Mr. Seto Kaiba lives in this very town, you'll probably meet other duelist here and get some experience."

"Huh? Kaiba? Who's he?" Naruto asked.

"He's only the greatest duelist in the world besides the creator of duel monsters, Maximillion Pegasus. At least that's what it was a few years ago," Sakura said remember an article she had read once on a computer is Lady Tsunade's office.

"Duel monsters?" Sai asked.

Sighing, Sakura started to explain duel monster to them. She took out her deck and showed him all the different characteristics of the cards like attack, defense, and even any special effects that the cards had. By the time they had reached their apartment, Naruto and Sai had a decent understanding of duel monsters. Soon, they had grabbed all of their bags and were entering their apartment.

The apartment that Ms. Rin had rented was quite roomy. It had two floors with three bedrooms and three baths. As soon as they had all entered, the group noticed the nicely furnished living room and kitchen. Downstairs to the right of the kitchen and dining room area was a door that opened to the master bedroom that included a full bath. Sakura's mom quickly claimed that one for herself. The other three climbed the stairs where the other two bedrooms were located. Naruto and Sai decided (more like argued until Sakura threatened them with their lives) to choose the second largest bedroom at the end of the hallway. Sakura took the last bedroom available, which wasn't much smaller and she got her own bathroom. The boys would have to share the slightly smaller bathroom in the hall. After everyone was settled, they all gathered in the living room. It was about 3:30 p.m.

"Ok, Now that we are all unpacked," Ms. Run began," I think I'll let you guys go get some fresh air and explore some. Sound good?" They all nodded in agreement. Sakura was really excited to explore. She was hoping that she'd find some other duelists.

"Ok! Well, here's some money, but try not to spend all of it," She said with a smile as she dug into her purse. She gave them each 8,100¥ (about 100$). With quick thanks and goodbye, the three left their new apartment.

After they'd walked for a few minutes, they had escaped the heavily urban area and wondered into a suburban area with a couple of houses and small businesses here and there. They walked down the street when they heard a loud laugh. Sakura looked over to see that the laughter came from a tall male with messy blonde hair. Rolling her eyes, Sakura thought '_oh great, another Naruto.'_

Speaking of Naruto, the knucklehead asked," So what you wanna do Sakura-chan?"

"I would like to find a good card shop, so I can get some more duel monster cards." Sakura responded.

That when she heard something else from the blonde.

"Hey Yugi! Looks like your Gramps might have a future customer," the blonde said loudly.

"Shut Up, Joey!" *punch* "Ouch!"

Sakura turned around the see the blonde holding his head as a slender brunette holds her fist. Another tall male with brown hair was chuckling at his friends' childish behavior while a very short boy with spiky tricolored hair rubbed his hand against the back of his neck.

Sakura stared at the short boy and suddenly blurted out," Whoa… nice hair." Everyone stopped what they ever doing and looked at the pinkie. "Oh wait… did I say that out loud?" Sakura wondered before she blushed in embarrassment. A moment of awkward silence passed over the group before they all busted out into a laughing fit. After a few minutes of laughter, everyone gained their composure.

"Opps. Sorry about that," Sakura said still giggling slightly.

"It's alright," the short boy said, rubbing the back of his neck again," I get that a lot. Thanks I guess. I'm Yugi Motou by the way." He extended his hand.

"You're welcome. I'm Sakura Haruno," she said as she shook his hand. She then introduced Naruto and Sai before Yugi introduced Joey, Téa, and Tristan.

Once introductions were done, Sakura asked, "So I heard something about a card shop. Do you guys know of one that sells duel monster cards?"

"You play duel monsters! So do Joey and me," Yugi said with a smile.

"Really! That's amazing!" Sakura said, trying not to jump up and down with joy from finding other duelists.

"Yeah and my grandpa even owns a game shop! If you want, you three could come over and look around." Yugi asked.

Sakura smiled as she replied, "Sure we'd loved to!" With that, the new band of friends walked down the street to the Kame Game shop.

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**A/N:**** Alright! That's the end! I know it's a lot and it happened kinda fast but I just really can't wait until we get to see **_**him! **_***fan girl giggle squeal!* I hope you guys liked it! Please review! I was try to have the next chapter posted by Sunday or Monday, but maybe sooner if I get reviews! You'll want the next chapter… that is if you'd like to see some YamiXSakura fluffy? *wink* ~ Sasukes1wuver ^^ **


	4. So Smitten

**A/N: I'm back! I had to fight off writer's block with my bare hands so this chapter could be published on time as I had promised! Again this chapter is dedicated to everyone who had reviewed, followed, and/or favorite this story! Love you guys! Well R, R, &R!**

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**Chapter 4: So Smitten **

The group of friends soon entered the small game shop. It was quiet except for the chatter.

"Hey Grandpa, we're home and with some customers!" Yugi shouted.

Soon, a short old man walked out from a room carrying some boxes. Solomon Motou placed them on the floor and looked at the visitors with a smile.

"Well," he said chuckling," what did I tell you about forcing strangers to come to the shop?"

"Tell Joey that," Yugi said rolling his eyes," besides they're not strangers! Sakura's a duelist!" With that, everyone pushed the nervous pinkie to up the counter.

"Well, then you must be here for duel monster cards," Mr. Motou said with a smile as he walked over to a shelf and came back with an arm full of duel monster card packs," Choose you pick." Sakura stared shocked at all the card packs. She picked one up and looked at it. She just didn't know what to choose.

"Just choose with your heart, Sakura-Chan," Yugi said, noticing her confused expression.

Nodding, Sakura took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She then reached out and took the ones that seemed to send a shock through her fingertips. Opening her eyes, she looked at the five packs she was holding in her hands. Smiling, she thanked Solomon and paid 456¥ (5.53$) for the packs.

"Come on guys. Follow me," Yugi said as he walked up a set of stairs. Everyone followed suit and soon were all sprawled out in the Motou family living room. Yugi excused himself to get refreshments for his guests. As he walked into the kitchen, he heard a chuckle from the back of his mind.

"What's so funny, Yami?" Yugi asked as he opened the fridge and pulled out the lemonade.

Chuckling again, his darker half replied," _Oh nothing Aibou. I see you've made new friends, which isn't surprising." _

"Yeah that seems to happen a lot. I owe it all to you, Yami," Yugi said smiling.

_"I have nothing to do with this one, Yugi. It was all you," _Yami said to his light," _Speaking of these new friends, when shall I get the honor of meeting them?"_

"Well," Yugi said, pulled 7 cups and a tray out of the dishwasher," I just met them today, so I don't wanna scare them off or for you to scare them off."

_"Scare them off?"_ the spirit replied before sighing,_" Now, Aibou, You know I'm over my dark days."_

Rolling his eyes, Yugi said as he poured the lemonade," It's not that. It the fact that I have an ancient spirit living inside of an Egyptian puzzle that can take over my body at any given moment. I'm not sure about you, but that sounds not only messed up but also border lining psychotic to me."

_"Ok, well just remember that secrets don't make friends,"_ With that, Yami receded back into the puzzle.

"Since when do you become an expert on friendship?" Yugi asked his dark. Yugi sighed when he got no answer. Grabbing the tray of drinks, he started to walk out of the kitchen when something dawned on him.

"Why so eager to meet them anyway?" Once again, there was no answer from the spirit. Rolling his eyes, Yugi decided to end his conversation with his darker half, so he took the drinks to his guests.

Truth be told, the reason Yami wanted to meet their new friends was just for one person… Sakura. Something about her captivated him. Something behind those emerald hues seemed to be trying to get out. She was a riddle, and he wanted to solve her.

Once Yugi had distributed the refreshments, Sakura started to show him the cards she had received from the packs. She had received many rare cards from the packs. The best cards were 'Change of Heart',' Mirror Force', 'Amazoness Swords Woman', 'Luster Dragon', and even 'Dark Magician Girl'. However, the one she liked the most was 'Hana the Swordmistress'*. Something about the card made her smile and it seemed to feel warm in her hand.

"Wow Sakura! These are great cards! " Yugi said as he looked through the cards.

_"She chooses very well. We only just met her and she is already trusting in the heart of the cards. She might be a natural Yugi,"_ Yami added. Yugi just nodded to his dark. However, there was only one way to see how good she really was.

"How about a duel, Sakura?" Yugi asked the rosette.

Shocked, Sakura thought for a moment before answering," Sure! I'd love to!"

"Whoa Yug! Does that mean they're gonna meet the Spir-"Joey started to say before he received a whack of the head by Téa.

Yugi quickly covered up his friend's slipup," What Joey was trying to say was that when I duel, I'm not really myself. I kinda transform into a more confident me."

Sakura nodded in agreement. She knew exactly how he felt. When she was with her friends and family, she was just the over emotional sweet Sakura, but the moment she stepped onto the battlefield, she become no more than a tool in the hands of her leaders… She became a Shinobi.

"As long as you don't go easy on me Yugi!" Sakura said with a smile. With that, the two started to prepare their decks. Sakura took out a couple of cards from her old deck and added in the new ones before carefully shuffling them. They then traded decks and shuffled each other's with care before handing them back. Within moments, Sakura made her first move. Even though her first move wasn't her last, it wasn't long before Yugi had demolished her life points while his remained untouched. Sakura stared wide-eyed at the cards on the tabletop as she finally realized she had lost. She didn't expect to win but to be defeated in only 5 turns did hurt a little.

"Wow, you're really good!" Sakura said with a sigh. She was still trying to put together all that happened in the last 3 minutes.

"Well you can't beat Kaiba and Pegasus without being good!" Joey said giving his modest friend a wink.

It took a second for what the loud blonde had said to click in her head. Sakura's hand went to her mouth to stifle a gasp.

She looked a Yugi in shock as she said," YOU defended the Seto Kaiba and Maximillion Pegasus! But… what… HOW?!" She knew he was good but THAT good!

Rubbing the back his neck, Yugi replied," Well, I guess I kind of had some help." He glanced down the Millennium Puzzle for second before looking back up at the pinkie's stunned expression.

"Come on! Don't be so modest, Yugi! You were the one dueling, so how could anyone help you?" Sakura asked.

"Hmm …well," Yugi was trying to think of something so say.

_"Just tell her the truth Aibou,"_ the spirit said to his light.

"Well, just I guess when I duel I hear voices telling what to do," Yugi blurted out. He mentally face palmed himself for his stupid excuse. Yami just rolled his eyes.

Sakura giggled as she said," Well whatever it is, it's working!"

After a moment, Yugi had an idea. "If you want, I can show you a few tricks," Yugi suggested.

"I'd be honored Yugi!" She said with a smile. With that, the two grabbed their cards and went up the stairs to Yugi's room. On their way up, they heard a chuckle from Joey before Téa knocked him in the head. Sakura just rolled her eyes. Yugi was sweet and all but… he just wasn't her type. She was more into the dark and mysterious type. The kind that you had to work to solve.

Soon, the two had cards all over the floor. Different cards were matched up together showing different methods and strategies. However, the kunoichi wasn't paying much attention to the cards. What really had her attention was the object around Yugi's neck. She couldn't believe she didn't notice it before. Something about it was unique. She swore she'd seen that weird eye symbol before in a book or something.

"Now, if you have 'Kuriboh' and the card 'multiply' in your hand, you can- hey Sakura? Hellooo?" Yugi said waving his hand in front of her face.

Snapping out of her dream like state, she apologized," Sorry Yugi! I was just distracted a little." Her eyes trailed back over the Millennium Puzzle.

When Yugi saw her looking at the Puzzle, he sighed.

_"Just tell her Yugi. You can't get your way out of this without actually lying to her," _Yami said,_" Plus if she's a real friend, she won't mind just like the others didn't mind either."_

The spirit had a point. Taking a deep breath, Yugi asked," You're wondering about the Puzzle, aren't you?"

Sakura looked at him, biting her lower lip. She just nodded.

"Well, it's called the Millennium Puzzle and well," Yugi sighed as he rubbed the back of his neck," remember when I told you that I hear voices when I duel and that I'm not really myself when I duel. It's because I'm not myself at all and well the Puzzle well hmmm." UGH! How was he going to explain this to her without looking like a disturbed lunatic!?

_"Maybe I could explain it better Aibou," _Yami suggested. Yugi just nodded slightly and took a deep breath.

"I can't really explain it but I know someone who might be able to do it better," Yugi said with another sigh," See you in a few minutes, Sakura." She expected him to stand up and go get or call someone but he just sat there on the floor in front of her. He closed his eyes and dropped his head. Before Sakura could question him, she felt this shift in the atmosphere. A cool breeze seemed to go through the room. Sakura remained rooted to her spot and Yugi slowly lifted his head; only thing was…that it wasn't Yugi.

His intense stare caused a slight blush to spread across Sakura's cheeks. He looked like Yugi but he couldn't be Yugi. He had this aura around him… it was dark and mysterious but not scary. Sakura looked into his intense purple orbs for what seemed like forever before he stood up. He seemed to be taller than Yugi but only by 2 or 3 inches. Sakura nervously stood up forgetting about the cards. Their intense staring contest continued as he held out his hand. She was about to shake it when she heard running up the stairs. Everyone ran into the doorway causing the two the break their eye contact. Naruto and Sai looked at the spirit with odd looks while the others were trying to stay calm. They weren't used to seeing the spirit out of dueling. Yami just gave them a look that said '_explain it later. Just leave.'_

With that, Joey, Tristan, & Téa dragged Naruto and Sai back downstairs. Sakura just laughed softly as she rubbed her hands together. They looked at each other again for another minute or so before Yami chuckled.

"Well it appears that I'm not doing any better explaining everything than my partner," Yami said with a chuckle that sent chills up Sakura's spine. She blushed a little more as he smirked at her.

"I believe I was introducing myself," he said holding out his hand once more," You can call me Yami." Sakura slowly took his hand. The moment their skin touched a surge of electricity flowed through them but neither chose to acknowledge the chemistry between them.

"I'm Sakura," she said shaking his hand. Once their hand had separated, the staring contest began again. After a moment, they both started laughing at the awkwardness.

"So," Yami began as he took a seat on the edge of Yugi's bed," I should be explaining well myself, but be warned, it's not very long." Thus, he began to tell her the little information that he knew of himself and the millennium items.

"Wait, so let me get this. You don't even know your own name!" Sakura exclaimed to the spirit who just shook his head.

"And Pegasus had one of these Millennium items?" Sakura asked. Yami shook his head yes.

"Well damn this is confusing," Sakura said pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Welcome to my life," Yami sighed," So what about you Sakura?"

"Huh? What about me?" Sakura asked.

"Well," Yami said trying not to be rude," You seem different from the others. You're friends seem different also."

Laughing nervous, Sakura said," Well aren't you observant Yami-Kun? My friends and I are different. We're… shinobi."

"Shinobi?" Yami asked with a slightly raised eyebrow. With a deep breath, Sakura started to explain the basic of being a ninja. She explains to him how charka works, and even genjutsu, taijutsu, and ninjutsu. Soon, they had forgotten about cards and were sitting on Yugi's bed sharing stories. Sakura told him about her first mission with her team a genin, and Yami shared stories of Duelist Kingdom. By the time the sun had set, the two felt like they had known each other for their entire lives. Occasionally, Yami would accidently brush his arm against Sakura's causing her to shiver from the contact. She usually covered it up until he noticed.

"You cold Sakura?" he asked her as she blushed.

"Ummmm… well…," she stuttered out but before she could say any coherent words, Yami was taking off his jacket. He handed it to her. Not knowing what to say, she took his jacket and carefully slide into it. Suddenly, her nose was engulfed in the most beautiful and unique smell she had ever smelled. It smelled like cinnamon and mint and soap and just another smell that was unique all on its own. His scent was mesmerizing and it gave her goose bumps. She bit her lower lip when she felt an unfamiliar warmth spread deep within her abdomen.

"That better?" he asked.

"Oh um yes thank Yami-Kun" Sakura said, trying not to stutter.

Yami smirked slightly at the horrific she added to his name. He wasn't sure what it meant but he liked it. Yugi being a lot more familiar to the Japanese language knew what it meant, so he could help but laughing.

"_What's so funny Aibou?" _Yami asked light.

_"Oh nothing but the fact that you two are hitting it off so well,"_ he said laughing again. Yami wasn't sure what his light meant by 'hitting it off' but he did know that he liked being with Sakura. It made him feel… complete. Sakura looked at Yami as he stared at her causing her to blush a dark shade of red.

"You ok, Sakura?" he asked feeling her bright red cheek with the back of his hand.

Sakura could only stutter because her mind was going crazy. He tilted his head to the side and slowly the distance between them shrank. Yami felt her forehead with his hand and noticed she felt warm… so very warm, and her lips looked so soft and she smelled oh so wonderful. The distance from their lips was closing in when suddenly-

"Sakura!" Naruto yelled from downstairs," You're mom's gonna be here soon, so hurry!"

Sakura's inner was mentally cursing the knucklehead out right now, but the small sane part of her was thankful for Naruto. Yami …well… he was trying to figure what the hell had just (or almost) happened. The two looked at each other and looked away before they got on the floor to pick up the duel monster cards. Soon, the still frazzled pair was walking down stairs where her mom was waiting.

"Oh good there you are! I was wondering what was taking so long" Ms. Rin said with a sly grin on her face. Sakura just blushed and turn around to say bye to Yami.

"Thanks for the tips Yami-Kun," She said trying not to stutter any," Oh yeah and here's your jacket."

"Just keep it for tonight," he said as Sakura started to take it off," it might be cold and plus I'll see you tomorrow right?"

"Sure!" She replied with a smile, secretly very happy she didn't have to give him his jacket back yet," and tell Yugi thanks and bye for me."

With that, they all said quick goodbyes before loading into the taxi. The moment they had left, Yugi was back and was rolling around the living room floor laughing.

"What had happened between them Yug?" Joey asked.

"Well," Yugi said regaining his composure," all I have to say is that those two are so smitten that it's not even funny." With that, they all laughed at the funny situation they had started.

* * *

**A/N: OMG! It's so late but I promised I would have this for guys so here it is! I would have had it sooner but as I said, I had to fight of writer's block! I didn't proof read this well, but I will today or tomorrow and then make any corrections! I hope you guys liked the SakuraXYami fluff!**

**_*not a real card; based on Kanan the Swordmistress but has higher attack and defense points etc._**

**(Has been edited!)**


	5. Love: Such a Powerful Emotion (Pt 1!)

**A/N****: I'm back once again! I'm very sorry that it's so late but I had holiday stuff, school stuff, and other stuff like writer's block :((! so I didn't really do any writing the last month. Speaking of Christmas, I hope you all had a wonderful time celebrating Christmas or whatever other holiday you celebrate! Lastly, I would like to thank everyone how reviewed! THANKS! I really love it when you guys review! Keep them coming ^^. I love knowing what you as readers think of my writing! Anyway, I'm gonna let you guys enjoy the story! R, R, & R! **

**Disclaimer:**** I don't own Naruto or Yu-Gi-Oh! All characters go to their rightful owners etc.**

**Warning:**** I will remind you all that this story is rated M so there will be times when things happen that are not for young ones' eyes. From now til the end, this warning will stay in place. If you don't like these not so innocent moments, then you may skip over it them. I will signal the beginning and ending of these moments with a row of highly exaggerated *******'s**

* * *

**Chapter 5: Love: Such a powerful emotion (Pt. 1)**

The moment her head hit the pillow, the tired blossom expected to drift right to sleep, but her mind wouldn't allow that. Instead of peaceful slumber, her thoughts were filled with the presence of the spirit. His smell clouded her senses as she snuggled herself deeper into his jacket. She still felt like she was sitting next to him, talking about everything under the stars. For once in her life, she was happy. Sighing, she closed her eyes and fell into a place of peaceful dreams.

_**!************************************!**_

_**The two sat side by side on Yugi's bed, talking and laughing at one thing or another when he looked at the pink-haired beauty. Yami placed his hand against her cheek and slowly lend in towards her lips. The kiss started gentle but as their lip lock continued, it grew much more passionate, almost hungry. He laid her down on her back as he hovered over her, never breaking the kiss. His tongue gently slid out of his mouth, tracing her bottom lip in a sweet but dominating way that was impossible to refuse. Sakura opened her mouth to let his tongue explore. Soon, the two were in the middle of a hot make out session, completely oblivious to everything around them but each other. Yami gently let his hand roam down the side of her body. After a moment, the two broke for much needed air. They looked at each other with a lustful gaze before the spirit started trailing kisses from the corner of her mouth to her ear. **_

_**Once he reached her ear, he spoke huskily," Hmmm, my sweet Sakura. You taste just a good as you smell." His tongue darted out to lick the shell of her ear, causing shivers to run down her spine into the pit of her stomach. He once again went back to trail heated kisses down her neck. Once he reached the pulse in her neck, his skillful mouth went to work, carefully nipping and licking at the sensitive area. His ministrations caused a beautiful moan to escape the now excited blossom. She felt herself warm up in her core as her juices started to flow onto her panties. Yami chuckled at her reaction to him. He rubbed his hand over her clothed chest, causing her to arch her back into his hands. Their lips met again as he squeezed her covered breasts. He carefully trailed his hand down to in between her thighs where he let his fingers graze her covered core. The pinkie moaned loudly at the sensation, wanting, no, craving more of his touch. Sensing her need, Yami quickly moved his hand to unbutton and unzip her jeans to let his hand slip into-**_

_**!*************!**_

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! *SMASH*

The highly annoyed kunoichi's fist made contact with her alarm clock. She slowly opened her eyes after she realized that her mind was going to deny her the chance to finish that sweet dream. Sitting up, the groggy, livid, and sexually frustrated Sakura ran a finger through her messy pink locks.

"Fuck," she mumbled to herself as she felt the effects of the dream linger. Shaking her head, she decided that getting up would help her forget about the erotic dream. She showered quickly and dressed. She chose to wear a simple pink skirt that ended right above her knees and a white tank top with pink sequins on the front along with a white jacket vest. Slipping into matching white sandals with a slight heel to them, Sakura looked at herself into the mirror.

Sighing she thought,_" What am I thinking? He couldn't ever like me… I'm just so ordinary and he's just so… anything but." _However, the kunoichi just couldn't help but try to look her best for the spirit. She took a seat on at her small vanity and went to the extremes of actually wearing makeup to cover up the flaws that only she could see.

After half an hour of applying layer after layer of makeup, to say she looked like a clown would have been an insult to clowns. Groaning, she stood up from the seat of her vanity and stomped to her bathroom to wash all the foreign substances off her face. After furiously scrubbing her face for about five minutes, all evidence of her failure had ran down the drain. Sighing, she looked at her face that now was slightly pink from her forceful washing. She just wasn't ever going to be pretty. In her eyes, she wasn't ugly, but just lacked all the necessities to look at least a little bit attractive. Her nose was just too small and her eyes were too big. Her forehead was forever loaming, and her lips never looked right. Sometimes they looked too big and sometimes too small. Making kissy faces into the mirror, she tried to find one that didn't look creepy or just ugly.

Placing her face into her palm, she sniffled. "Why am I worrying about this guy? I'm supposed to be here to relax, and now look at me!" she screamed at herself as she let a few tears fall. A knock at her bathroom door woke her from her crying fit back into the real world. Quickly wiping her face of tears, she opened the door and saw her mom standing there.

"Oh, I was just wondering if you were awake," her mom said, looking at her daughter," You ok sweetheart?" Sakura just bit her bottom lip, glancing over at the makeup scattered on the vanity. With a smile, her mom gently pulled her daughter back into the vanity seat. After about 10 minutes, Rin was pinning back the last bit of her daughter's hair. Opening her eyes, Sakura looked at herself in the mirror. A light layer of pink eye shadow and a small amount of blush light dusted over her cheeks really made a difference. Her shoulder length hair was parted to the side with clips holding it in place. Grabbing her favorite pink lipstick, the kunoichi applied it to her lips.

Smiling, Sakura looked to her mom and said," Thanks mom." Sakura stood up and gave her a hug. Walking over to her closet, she grabbed a small white purse and Yami's jacket before she started to exit her room. The two walked down the stairs and made their way into the kitchen. Sakura took a seat at the small dining table. As her mom set down the natto* and steamed rice, Sakura let out a sigh.

"Sleep well?" her mom asked as she took a seat in front of her daughter. Sakura nodded as she fixed her bowl. The two ate in silence, so they finished quickly. As they cleaned off the table, her mom asked a question that had been on her mind for quite some time.

"So," Mrs. Rin asked with a slight smirk," any reason you're all dolled up?" Almost dropping the bowls in her hands, the embarrassed pinkie looked at her mom, a blush engulfing her face.

"Umm… well," Sakura started to say but the phone on the well started to ring, "I got it!" With that, she turned and walked quickly to the phone, trying to ignore her mom's stare.

"Haruno residence," Sakura answered.

"Sakura? This is Yugi," she heard from the phone.

Sakura smiled as she replied," Oh! Hey Yugi!"

"Hi Sakura-chan! You're mom gave me your number, so I decided to call and ask if you were still coming over. You know so we can finish practicing or so you and Yami can spend dueling time talking again."

Blushing at the mention of the spirit's name, Sakura slightly stuttered into the receiver," Hu-hmm y-yeah! I'll be right over. See you then!" She hung up the phone and sighed. She walked back to the kitchen/dining room area to see the boys had made their way downstairs.

"I'm going over to Yugi's," she told her mom as she grabbed her purse and ran out the door before anyone could say anything.

"Well damn," Naruto said after the kunoichi had darted out of the house and the door slammed shut," someone's a little in love." He sighed as he finished eating.

Standing up to take care of his bowl, Sai just rolled his eyes," Let's just hope that she's finally over the Uchiha bastard." The other two nodded in agreement.

*at Yugi's*

As he hung up the phone, Yugi made his way into the living room to wait for his friends. When he had sat down on the couch, Yami appeared next to him through only Yugi could see.

"_Sakura's coming over?"_ the Spirit asked.

Flipping through the channels, Yugi said," Yeah. Joey'll be here after he finishes dealing with something to do with his sister's surgery, but Tristan and Téa are busy-"around this time, Yami was lost in his own thoughts. He couldn't get his encounter with the pink haired beauty out of his mind. Lately, he's been more or less depressed. He felt alone with all his problems and questions until he met Sakura. She made all that go away. Her smile, her beautiful eyes, her very presence … it all made him feel complete. Yami's thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door. He couldn't help but smile at the anticipation of seeing the cherry blossom again. Within a second and a shift in the atmosphere, the spirit had taken control of Yugi's body and rushed to answer the door.

Yami opened the door quickly to reveal the beautiful cherry blossom called Sakura. When their eyes meet, Sakura's cheeks changed into a slight red, especially since the last memory she had had of the spirit was an erotic dream. After a moment of awkward silence, Yami let her into house.

"Soo," Sakura said trying to find a way to break the awkward silence at was strangling the two," hmmm… oh! Here's you jacket." She held out his jacket in front of him, trying not to look in his vibrant purple orbs. He gently took the jacket from her, their fingers brushing slightly. Sakura bit her bottom lip to suppress a gasp at the electricity that flowed from the simple touch.

"Well, do you want to go to Yugi's room to finish our lesson?" The spirit asked trying not looked at her beautiful green eyes. If he did, he just knew the weird feeling from last night would return. The feeling to hold her, to touch her to see if her skin was as soft at it appeared, and how her beautiful full lips would feel if… Yami stopped his thoughts right there. He mentally slapped himself for getting distracted. He hadn't even realized that Sakura was speaking to him. Oh even her voice was beautiful! Like the sound of spring!

"Yami-kun… you ok?" Sakura asked for the second time. He was looking at her and it made her blush and the scenes from her dream last night flashed in her mind. She shook her head slightly to shake the images from her mind, but it didn't help. They looked at each other and laughed nervously at the awkwardness of the situation.

"Hm," Yami said clearing his throat," let's go upstairs to finish with the dueling lesson." Sakura nodded in agreement and the two climbed the stairs.

* * *

**A/N:**** Done! I have only have word to say: OMFG! It took forever to write this! I wasn't going to make this a two part chapter buuut I promised a reviewer that I would have it ready for today. I just really wanted you guys to get the feeling of their relationship. What do you guys think about their relationship: too complicated, they just need to fuck each other, or it's the most romantic confusing whirlwind of love you've ever seen?! You can answer that question by simply clicking the review box below my rant. ^^ A huge inspiration for this chapter and more to come is Taylor Swift's new album **_**Red**_** (Hell yes I'm a Swifty and I'm not afraid to admit it!) "State of Grace" and "Everything had Changed" are big time inspirations and really describe Yami and Sakura's relationship well, so you should listen to them if you really like this couple! If you have any other songs that are good for this couple, send me a message or leave it title in the review, because music is a huge inspiration :)! Once again, thanks at all the reviews! Don't stop guys! :D! See you in about 2 weeks to a month (school sucks DX!)~Sasukes1wuver**


	6. Love: Such a Powerful Emotion (Pt 2)

**A/N:**** Hello readers! Extremely sorry for the late update but I've had a lot going on ****in my life due to the fact that I'm graduating this year! So excited :D! I'll be starting community college in the fall. Anyway, since I still have a little less than a month of school left, I won't be able to update again till around the beginning of June. I will hopefully get on a decent updating schedule this summer, but no promises. OMG 19 reviews, 9 favorites, and 10 followers! You guys are amazing! Keep them comin' ^^! Anyway, Onward! R, R, & R! **

**P.S.:**** The plot that includes the dueling and such will begin at chapter 8 :). **

**Disclaimer:**** I don't own Naruto or Yu-Gi-Oh! I just own the plot. Rights go the geniuses called ****Masashi Kishimoto and****Kazuki Takahashi.**

**Warning:**** I will remind you all that this story is rated M so there will be times when things happen that are not for young ones' eyes. From now til the end, this warning will stay in place. If you don't like these not so innocent moments, then you may skip over it them. I will signal the beginning and ending of these moments with a row of highly exaggerated *******'s**

* * *

**Chapter 6: Love: Such a powerful emotion (Pt. 2)**

A groan escaped a frustrated pinkie's lips as her life points hit zero… _once again._ She fell back onto the carpet of Yugi's bedroom in defeat. A chuckle met the kunoichi's ears which caused her to sit up with a fiery glare pointed towards the smirking spirit.

Taking a deep breath and maintaining eye contact, she said," Again!"

"Again?" Yami said with a slightly raised eyebrow," We've already dueled 5 times within the last hour. Shouldn't we rest?"

"Rest is for the weak!" Sakura shouted as she gathered her cards and started to shuffle.

Sighing, the spirit looked at the confident pinkie as she furiously shuffled her deck. "Just a little break, Sakura. You can't tire yourself out." He said with concern.

It was Sakura's turn to smirk. "What's the matter? You scared?" the devious pinkie smiled. A chuckle escaped from the spirit as his usual handsome smirk returned. With that, another duel commenced.

It's unfortunate that the pinkie had unleashed the spirit's wrath. During their previous duels, Yami had been gentle and decayed her life points at a slow rate but this time, he showed no mercy. Sakura had lost within only 7 turns. She dropped her cards onto their makeshift playing field. With a heavy sigh, she dropped her head into her hands. Her chest hurt as she tried to hold in the sobs. She left so weak… again. With a confident smirk on his lips, Yami saw as Sakura seem to freeze in with her head in her hands.

"_Hmm Yami… I think you were a little harsh on her." _said a voice from the back of the spirit's mind.

"_You think do Aibou?"_ Yami asked with concern. A part of his chest started to lock up as he saw her body start to shake slightly. It hurt something deep within the spirit.

With a sigh, Yugi replied,"_ That pain is called guilt Yami. Don't just sit here! Go hug her or something!"_

Taking a deep breath, Yami slid over to the crushed kunoichi and awkwardly wrapped his arms around her as heat rushed to his face. Her body stiffened at the contact. Taking a shaky breath, she lifted her head to look up at the blushing spirit. Yami felt her move so he glanced down which caused the color to drain from his face almost as quickly as it had come. The whites of her eyes had a slight pink tint to them and her cheeks glistened from trails of tears. He couldn't help but brush her soft pink hair away from her face to gently wipe the tears from her sea foam green eyes with his thumb. Unable to control the unbearable pain in her chest, Sakura collapsed onto Yami's chest and wept. Surprised, the spirit just wrapped his arms around her tighter and rested his chin on top of the weeping pinkie's head. The two stayed like that for what seemed like forever. Within an hour, they were sitting on Yugi's bed with Yami's arm draped around her neck and Sakura leaning on his shoulder. Only a few sniffles were escaping the pinkie now as she closed her eyes and breathed in Yami's deliciously calming scent.

Taking a deep breath, Yami began to think. He didn't want to say something to hurt her. The spirit vowed to himself that he would NEVER make her cry again. Clearing his throat, Yami began to speak," Umm… if you don't mind, would you like to tell me what's bothering you?"

Breathing a sniffling sigh, Sakura began to pour out her heart.

"Remember how yesterday I was telling you about my team. Well, Sai just joined it only a few months ago."

Questioningly, Yami asked," How is that so? You told me yesterday that all teams were- as you had put it- a four man cell. If it's you, your sensei, and Naruto, then who is the 4th?"

"Well, it's … he…" Sakura sniffled," His name is Uchiha Sasuke and… and… he abandoned us. He left the village and he changed. I worry about him so much because what he's doing… he could get himself hurt or even worse… killed." By this time, Sakura was crying into Yami's chest again. Realization hit the Spirit; this Uchiha person was more than a teammate to Sakura. However, Yami needed to know for sure.

"Hmm Sakura, do you…have feelings for the Uchiha?" Yami asked. He felt his heart beat faster as he waited for her to answer. Deep down, the spirit hoped she said no because thinking made him angry which confused him.

Sniffling, Sakura answered honestly," I- I try not to because it hurts so much but… I d- do love him." Sakura wiped away her tears when she suddenly felt an uncomfortable aura. Yami had swiftly slid over the bed and was standing up. He felt that energy again. The spirit was having a hard time controlling the evil power surging through him. He could sense the eye of Wdjat glowing brightly on his forehead. Pinching the bridge of his nose, Yami breathed heavily in an attempt to calm his nerves. He could feel the eye of Wdjat fade as he felt a hand touch his shoulder. Still uptight from nearly snapping back into his dark ways, Yami quickly turned to grab the wrist of the hand that had touched him. The wild and crazy look in his purplish red orbs vanished when he looked into glistening green ones.

Yami and Sakura stared at each other, both shaking for different reasons. Sighing, the spirit relaxed his grip slightly, but it was still tight enough to be able to pull the shivering pinkie into a tight embrace. He rested is head on her shoulder he felt her relax some and snuggle deeper into the embrace.

"I'm sorry, Sakura. I promise to never scare you again." He whispered into her ear, in return feeling her nod against his shoulder. Somehow, they had ended back on Yugi's bed. Lying down all cuddled up against each other, they both napped peacefully.

* * *

Yami woke up shortly after (surprised that he had actually slept since it was the first time – that he could remember- of actually sleeping.) Noticing a fluff of pink hair resting on his chest, the spirit couldn't help but blush slightly. Careful not to wake the sleeping beauty, Yami slid out from under the awkward yet comfortable position that he and Sakura had gotten into. After making sure she was still asleep, Yami quietly snuck out of the room and walked downstairs into the kitchen to try to clear his mind. What is wrong with him? Why did Sakura make him feel this way? One moment he was delighted; the next he was seeing red. She confuses him yet he wishes to forever remain in her presence.

"_Maybe the reason is because you like her Yami." _

"_That's ridiculous, Aibou. We're just friends. Plus, she has special feelings for that traitorous teammate."_

Yugi chuckled at his dark's jealousy._" Fine, whatever you say Yami."_

Sighing, Yami rested his elbows against the counter, interlacing his fingers and propping his chin on top of his hands in thought. Did he have feelings for Sakura? Feelings in general confused the spirit like many other things in this world. Was he even capable of loving at all, especially the fragile and soft-hearted blossom? No, he couldn't. Plus she deserves someone better than him; someone human. Yami was snapped out of these depressing thoughts with a knock at the door.

Slamming the door open, Joey walked into the Motou living room. "Hey Yug'! Yug'?"

The confused blonde looked around to see the other Yugi walk out of the kitchen/dining room," Oh Hey Yu-, wait… Oh it's the Other Yug'. What are you doing here? I mean ya know out of the puzzle." Joey asked.

"Oh um I-, "the spirit started to explain before he was cut off by a chuckle from the now smirking blonde.

With a mischievous glint, Joey said," I get it. Sakura must be here."

"Huh Yes. She's upstairs sleeping." Yami answered, becoming very confused by Yugi's best friend's behavior. Could he be implying something?

Chuckling again, Joey walked over and nudged Yami with his elbow moving his eyebrows in a creepy fashion, as he said," Ah, you tired her out did cha?"

Becoming slightly uncomfortable by Joey's actions, the spirit slowly backed away. Joey turned with a grin and ran upstairs without giving Yami a second glance. Unsure about the blonde's intentions, Yami follows Joey up the stairs. As the two slowly peered around the doorway to Yugi's room, they were greeted by an empty room. Yami rushed through the doorway, starting to worry. Joey walked in also, scratching his head in slight confusion. Where could she have gone?!

"Huh you guys looking for something?"

The boys turned around to see Sakura standing by the doorway with her eyebrow raised slightly. Without thinking, Yami nearly broke into a run as he went over to Sakura and pulled her into a tight hug. Blushing, they both pulled away.

In a desperate attempt to explain himself, Yami said," Hmm, s-sorry! I- I was well-"God, now he was even stuttering! This woman shall be the death of him.

Giggling, Sakura just smiled as she said," It's ok Yami-Kun. I'm fine."

"Where'd cha go Sak'?" Joey asked.

Rolling her eyes, the pinkie walked over to Joey just to lightly hit him." I had to go use the bathroom Baka. Women have to pee too!" Sakura said with a sigh. Turning back to face Yami, she was surprised and slightly disappointed to see Yugi had returned in his place. Careful to show her disappointment, Sakura just smiled at Yugi.

"So the spirit got tired of being social, eh Yug'?" said Joey with a smirk.

Rubbing the back of his neck, Yugi replied," Yeah, I guess. He has been out most of the day." He glanced over at Sakura as he spoke the last part.

Blushing slightly, Sakura said," Yeah, well I guess I should be going too. It's getting kinda late. See you guys tomorrow!" With that, she grabs her purse and waves goodbye. The next sound is of a door closing.

_Yugi, I'm confused. What did Joey mean by I tired her out _Yami spoke, the confusion leaking through even in his voice. Fortunately, Joey started to talk so it gave Yugi an excuse not to answer his dark's awkward question.

"I gotta call from Mai on my way over here from my sis's appointment. Mai said she's be in town in 'bout a week."

Surprised, Yugi said," Really? That'll be great! That way Sakura can meet her!"

Joey nodded in agreement as he plopped down on Yugi's floor and asked," Anyway, ya wanna duel Yug'?" It was Yugi's turn to nod as he sat down to duel the blonde.

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**A/N:**** FINALLY DONE! OMG it took me forever to finish this, but it is done! I will try to have to next chapter out in about a month! Till then, please leave reviews! They are the most epic thing ever! I might update faster if I get lots and lots of reviews! You guys will most definitely want to next chapter because it shall be… interesting (:! See ya guys then! ~ Sasukes1wuver ^^**


	7. This is Just the Beginning

**A/N:**** Hey guys! I've had serious writer's block the past two months (not because I don't know what to do) I just wasn't inspired. After debating, I've decided to leave out a chapter. Someday, I might add it in but I'm not sure. Fortunately, due this change, we can move onto actual plot! I'm so excited! Well, I'll let you guys enjoy! R, R, & R!**

**P.S.: This chapter is my version of episodes 50-51.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own **_**Naruto or Yu-Gi-oh.**_** They belong to their rightful owners.**

**Warning: I will remind you all that this story is rated M so there will be times when things happen that are not for young ones' eyes. From now til the end, this warning will stay in place. If you don't like these not so innocent moments, then you may skip over it them. I will signal the beginning and ending of these moments with a row of highly exaggerated *******'s.**

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Chapter 7: This is just the Beginning

_**Small bare feet quickly rushed through the dusty, dirt streets. Hopefully, she was running fast enough and had lost them she thought turning to run in between two buildings. Sea green eye widened as she saw that it was a dead end, and her eyes failed to shrink when she turned around to see the 3 men that were chasing her were walking down the alleyway. The young girl slid down into the fetal position as the men stalked closer. This was it… they had her. They were going to hurt her like they had hurt her mommy. Just then, she heard a voice.**_

"_**Away with you all or I shall call the royal guard!"**_

_**She heard the men's panicked whispers before they ran away. Too afraid to look up, the young girl stayed completely still as she heard footsteps coming towards her.**_

"_**Are you ok?" She heard the voice much clearer now. It was calm and confident; it sounded like a young male, probably around her age. Looking up, she noticed he had his hand held out to her. Quickly, she grabbed it as he helped her up. It was soft and warm, making her skin tingle. She looked to thank her savior but could only focus on his amethyst eyes.**_

Sakura quickly sat up, covered in sweat. The sheets clung to her form. Taking in quick shaking breaths, she placed her head in her hands. The dream… it was different. This one felt real. She could still feel the dry heat of the rural town; however, rural didn't quite describe it. It was… ancient. Suddenly, sharp pain shot into her head. That's when she decided to just stop thinking about it before she got a headache. Groaning, the pinkie slid out of bed and went straight to her shower. About 15 minutes later, she walked out with a towel wrapped snugly around her torso.

As she dressed herself in a blue jeans and a pastel green blouse, her mind kept returning to the dream. Those eyes… they seemed so familiar, but she just couldn't quite out her finger on it. Shaking her head, she just decided to forget about it and try to get her day started. That's when she suddenly remembered; she was going to walk with Yugi and Téa on their way to school. Panicking, Sakura turned to check her clock on the bedside. **8:30.** _Crap!_ With that last thought, she brushed her hair and ran downstairs to slip on her white sandals. She shouted her goodbyes to whomever might have been present and ran out the house.

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As she ran towards the Kame Game shop, Sakura saw Yugi's grandpa sweeping. "Hello Mr. Motou!" Sakura shouted in his direction as she jogged towards him.

"Well hello Sakura!" He replied, giving her a friendly smile.

After quickly catching her breath, she asked," Have Yugi and Téa left yet?"

"Oh yes. About 20 minutes ago."

"Ok! Then I can still catch up with them. Thanks!" She said and turned to leave. Sakura quickly gained speed as she rushed to catch up with her friends. She didn't stop til she ran across a table that was over turned. Watching her step, she also saw what looked like broken glass. Sighing, she continued on, not having time for distractions. Not too long after, she had made it to Domino High School but had no luck with finding her friends. She glanced at her watch. **9:15. **No wonder… their classes started at 9 o'clock. Sighing, she decided to turn around when she suddenly heard a shout.

"Yo Sakura!"

Turning towards the sound, Sakura saw Tristan, Téa, and Joey running towards her. Smiling, she went to them. "Hey! Where's Yugi at?" Sakura asked after she noticed the lack of tricolored hair.

"Yugi's puzzle was stole!" Téa replied in a worried tone. Sakura's heart stopped. The puzzle… was stolen! Anger filled the pinkie but was quickly replaced with dread. "Yami!" She suddenly shouted as she turned and dashed in the other direction," I think I might have clue where those two might be!" The other three just nodded and ran to catch up with the kunoichi. Sakura then led them to the only suspicious place that she had seen today. When they arrived, the table was still over turned and glass still littered the sidewalk.

"Wasn't this the place that you were telling us about earlier Téa?" Tristan asked. Téa just nodded. Sakura walked passed them and looked around the ally way.

"Oh no," she said as panic began to feel her; all of the arrows were turned in odd directions which led the gang to have no idea where to go.

"I guess nobody wants us to find out where Yugi went." Joey said rubbing the back of his neck.

"We don't have time for this! DAMNIT!" Sakura shouted in anger. She lend against the side of a build as the sharp pain in her head from earlier returned. As she clenched her jaw shut trying to ignore the pain, Sakura suddenly collapsed as her world faded into darkness.

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_**The puzzle… something had happened to the puzzle. She needed to move! But she couldn't… then she was. She was walking in the dry heat with a hand wrapped around her own. It was soft and warm just like her rescuer's. She looked up to see whose hand she was holding but was blinded by a bright white light. Then all was dark again.**_

The smell of smoke surrounded her. Quickly opening her eyes and shaking off the drowsiness, Sakura saw Tristan and Joey trying to break down a door to a building that was on fire. She stood up as they ran into the door but failed to make even a dent. Smirking, she wanted to laugh at how much they were struggling to break down a simple wooden door. _If you need something done, you might just have to do it yourself,_ she thought as she started to gather chakra into her fist.

"Come on Joey! You're running into that door like a girl!" Tristan shouted as they backed away from the door to get a running start. The two stopped however when they hear laughing from behind them.

Still smirking, Sakura said," Please! If he was running into that door like a girl, it wouldn't still be a problem."

With confusion on their faces, Tristan and Joey watched as Sakura walked up to the door, pulled back her fist, and slammed it into the door. With that, the door fell down. The heat attacked her. Trying to stay focused, Sakura stepped into the burning building. She wasn't sure why exactly she was; all she knew was that she had to do it! Suddenly, a screaming man with a red, white, and blue like bandana was running towards her. Not wanting to deal with any unnecessary distractions, she grabbed his odd black cloak as he tried running by and pitched him out the door. She then simply continued through the fire, leaving her two friends in a mixture of shock, awe, and fright. After getting their wits about them, the two ran in after her.

"Sakura!?" Joey yelled," Anyone!?"

"Over there Joey!" Tristan said as he pointed to a frightening scene. Sakura was trying to help Yugi pulled the puzzle off a closed hook. The two ran up to help.

"Don't worry Yami-Kun!" Sakura said," We'll save you! Wait no Yugi! Don't you pass out on me!"

"Come on you two! Let's get out of here!"

"Can't leave… without… my pu… zzle…" Yugi mumbled faintly as he lost consciousness.

"Tristan, go get Yugi's deck! Sakura, can't you use some of your freakish human strength to pull this thing out?" Joey said.

"I can't. My hands are too sweaty from this heat." She replied," We can try using those poles over there. All we have to do it use it as a lever to pull it out!"

"Great Idea!" They went to grab the two poles. Once they had the poles and Tristan had collected Yugi's cards, the three were able to safely and quickly get the puzzle. Joey then carried the passed out Yugi out of the burning building with Sakura and Tristan following. Once they were outside in the fresh, smoke-free air, they were greeted by Téa and several different emergency personnel.

"Are you guys ok?!" Téa asked in a worried panic.

"Place Yugi down now!" Sakura ordered Joey in a serious tone. Joey just nodded and decided to trust Sakura not only because she was a friend but also because she kinda scared him… just a little. He carefully placed Yugi on the ground. Kneeing, Sakura carefully started to check his vitals. "Sorry Yugi," she said as she ripped open his shirt. Gently, she placed two fingers on the pulse of his neck and then leaned her ear onto his chest.

"What are you doing Miss!?" A firefighter asked," Stop and let professionals handle this!"

With a growl and a look of fire in her eyes, she turned her head and looked at the firefighter," I AM a professional!" _I have more healing power in my little finger than all of your medical staff combined!_ She thought but decided to hold back the rant.

After examining the burns on his face and hands, Sakura was able to breathe a sigh of relief. "His heart rate in normal and he seems to have no or minor lung damage , but if the 'professionals'," she said, rolling her eyes," think that they need to waste time doing a physical look over then let them."

Standing up, she allowed the medics to load him onto a stretcher but intervened when one tried to take the puzzle out of his hand. "NO! Don't touch the puzzle! I will NOT lose him again!" They all looked at her but just shook their heads and left the puzzle be.

Within a few hours, they were all in a hospital room. Yugi was bandaged up and dressed in his blue pajamas with stars. Joey and Tristan only had a few burns on their faces that were patched up. Yugi was holding the puzzle in his hands.

"Well, the puzzle is safe and sound. How can I ever thank you guys for saving my life back there?" Yugi said smiling up at everyone," You put yourselves in danger to make sure I was OK. You're the greatest friends a guy ever had."

"That's what buds are for, right pal?" Joey said, acting all cool and macho with his arms crossed.

"Yeah, good thing I spotted him," Tristan said.

Turning to Tristan, Joey continued the conversion which started a competition between the two about who was more of a hero. Before long, they were almost at each other's throats, but Yugi came to the rescue by bribing the two with his hospital food if they behaved. Sakura and Téa could only stand there, shaking their heads at the two men's appetites. However, something was occupying the two females' minds. Téa just smiled and excused herself out of the room, possibly to think about all of this chaos now that the guys were all safe. Sakura's train of thought was on the exact same path.

_We almost lost them. I almost lost __**him!**__ This is getting serious; someone wants to hurt Yugi, for what reason I have no clue. For whatever reason, I __**WILL NOT**__ let them! These are my friends! They're like teammates, and I will not allow anyone to mess with my teammates! _Sakura's thought raced through her head as she began to slowly feel rage coursing through her. Fortunately her mind switch gears when she thought of teammates. _Where are Naruto and Sai? Surely they'd be here by now._

She just shrugged it off and decided to inquiry about it when she got home. For now, she needed to be by her friends and most importantly… **him. **Sakura couldn't help but smiled at the thought of the dark spirit. Her heart ached at even the notion of leaving Yami especially after almost losing him along with his smile, his chuckle, the warmth of his hugs, his deep enchanting eyes, oh and his smell! How it made a shiver go up her spine!

"You ok, Sakura?" Yugi asked, wondering about her bright red face," Did the heat get to you?" Sakura just kept looking at Yugi, feeling the heat sink deeper in her face.

Joey just chuckled," Why ya blushin' Sakura? Thinking of someone?" Tristan then had to grab Sakura around the waist as she leaped over Yugi's hospital bed to pounce on Joey. Yugi just sighed; however he couldn't help smiling a little, not at their immature behavior, but at the thought that he had such great friends that would risk it all for him.

He wouldn't have it any other way.

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**A/N:**** Thus the end of the beginning! I've been writing this fast, so I apologize for any errors! We shall resume with the plot in the next chapter which I've already begun. I will get to battle city before I start college this fall! Don't be afraid to yell at me if I don't update within 2 or 3 weeks! The one thing that works even better than yelling at me is reviewing! I love 'em! Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it! R, R, & R!**


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